Method of playing a three-card draw casino card game

ABSTRACT

Players participating in a preferred embodiment of the disclosed game and method of play are dealt three cards only, and are thereafter allowed to replace only one of the dealt cards to improve the rank of their hand. The game is played with at least three standard decks that are modified so that the modified decks contain only the ranks Ace, King, Queen, Jack and Ten in the suits of Spades, Hearts, Diamonds and Clubs. However, play is also possible using only two prepared decks and three cards per hand. Players are not paid on wagers listed on a “pay table” of predetermined winning poker outcomes and corresponding odds. Instead, wagers are paid off at a ratio of one-to-one (1:1). The dealer is not required to have a predetermined qualifying hand, but the dealer is required to discard according to a predetermined “House Way.”

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Traditionally, “Poker” is a card game played with a standard deck of 52 playing cards, the object of the game being to hold a hand having a higher ranking than any other player's hand. A standard poker hand consists of exactly five cards, and is ranked according to a generally accepted table of card combinations, the rankings generally being related to the odds, or relative chances that specific hands will occur. Wagering money or other tokens of value, such as poker chips, on each hand according to the odds, is an important element to the game. Such wagering contributes greatly to player interest and excitement.

Many different forms and derivatives of traditional draw poker have developed since it was first described in the early part of the last century. Those forms include variations on the numbers of cards available from which to create a five-card hand, and upon how and when cards are dealt and bets are placed.

For example, one variant may call for all of the cards to be dealt “face down,” so that they are visible only to the player to whom they were dealt. This practice is common for many private, “no banker” games, or is sometimes also permitted by casinos only at designated “high roller” tables. Each player then mentally calculates the relative likelihood or “odds” of the hand held to be of greater or lesser rank than any hand held by any other player. Other variations may permit all players to see all or some cards that are dealt “face up” in addition to any cards in that player's hand, and thereby to add information used for calculating the odds of the various ranks of hands held.

Wagering variations are also used to change the way one game variant is played from another. In most variations of poker, a player may only play after he or she “buys into” a game by paying some minimum set amount, or “ante.” According to common practice, poker chips are often used to represent cash or even points played. The player often is dealt a hand, and then wagers on that hand. Typically, wagering by players is based on the perceived or calculated odds of having a higher ranked hand than other players.

Despite these variations, most poker derived card games maintain a five-card hand. While five-card hands are the standard, some prior art games using three card hands and a standard full deck are known.

The odds and the complexity of play may vary widely between poker game variations. This is due to the variables described above, and also because the relative rankings of card combinations, and so the odds, may differ between game variations. Further, the contents of a player's hand may change during play, and the players' hands will change from one hand to the next. Therefore, memorization by each player of the odds for each variation, coupled with continuous and accurate mental calculations of these odds from hand to hand, make significant mental demands on each player.

The time available to play each hand also contributes to the excitement players feel during play. It necessarily takes time to play a hand, to allow the players to mentally review and perceive cards played, compute odds on those played cards, and decide on wager amounts. The time taken per hand played typically increases with the number of cards per hand, the number of players, and the complexity of the rankings of cards to be memorized by players for each game variation. The faster a hand is played, the greater the pressure on each player to make accurate mental calculations of odds and to decide and make wagers.

Other card game variations have been created to allow casino style card game play. In some jurisdictions, “casino style” card games are tightly regulated by law, and some place restrictions on whether a wagering player may “bust,” or automatically lose, based on a dealt hand. Other jurisdictions do not prohibit games in which a player “busts.”

Poker games that are played “casino style” may require that there be only one player wagering against the dealer's or casino's hand. If more than one player plays, play may further require each player to decide the odds of holding a hand better than all other players' hands, in addition to deciding the odds that the player has a better hand than the dealer holds. Directly wagering against another player's hand in addition to wagering against the dealer's or casino's hand might also be permitted by making “side bets.” Still further, “bonus bets” may be permitted wherein the player may bet on whether a specifically declared hand will be held by that player.

A casino has an opportunity to make money each time a hand is played because each of the players must “ante up” or pay some wager minimum amount to participate in each hand played. Unless one or more of the players “beats” or ties the house hand, the house wins all money contributed by all players. When hands can be played more quickly, the casino profits from the increased frequency with which players must ante up.

With casino style poker, variations of the game are often played that favor the odds of winning by the house by a known percentage. The casino profits partly because of this percentage. However, knowledgeable players avoid playing those casino games that strongly favor the casino's odds of winning. Therefore, it is desirable to have a game appropriate for casino play that favors the casino by only 1-3 percentage points, in order to attract knowledgeable players.

Another source of income for casinos is simply due to turnover, or the number of hands played over time. Further, it is a steep mental and emotional challenge for each player to calculate mathematical odds per hand, and players may either not know the correct odds, or may misapply these odds to a hand played. Urging players to play a hand quickly may tilt the odds of winning in the casino's favor. It is therefore in the best interest of a casino to decrease the time it takes per hand played and thereby increase the number of hands played overall.

The game and method of the disclosure provide advantages to casinos and excitement to players by fast-paced play that does not necessarily require complex computation of odds. The present disclosure provides a method of play and a card game suitable for use in casinos, gaming establishments and other environments. It may be played using a three, four or five card hand, although three card hands are preferred to increase the number of hands played in a given time. The method of the disclosure is structured to allow a larger number of hands to be played at a faster pace than most other poker games, even other three-card games. The presently disclosed method and game requires only simple math to determine the necessary odds to make wagers. Finally, there are no specific markings on a gaming table required, as in other games in which areas of the gaming table themselves indicate aspects of the game, so a casino offering the disclosed game need not purchase specially marked or specially constructed tables for play. These factors benefit casinos and players alike.

DRAWING

FIG. 1—Top View of table layout for invention showing (1) dealer's tray; (2) wagering areas; (3) area where player's cards are dealt; and (4) player's areas.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Players participating in a preferred embodiment of the disclosed game and method of play are dealt three cards only, and are thereafter allowed to replace only one of the dealt cards to improve the rank of their hand. The game is played with at least three standard decks that are modified so that the modified decks contain only the ranks Ace, King, Queen, Jack and Ten in the suits of Spades, Hearts, Diamonds and Clubs. However, play is also possible using only two prepared decks and three cards per hand. Players are not paid on wagers listed on a “pay table” of predetermined winning poker outcomes and corresponding odds. Instead, wagers are paid off at a ratio of one-to-one (1:1). The dealer is not required to have a predetermined qualifying hand, but the dealer is required to discard according to a predetermined “House Way.”

The preferred method for this invention comprises: a player, or players, placing any wager to participate in a casino, three-card draw poker style game; each player being dealt one card at a time, preferably in clock-wise rotation, with each card face up; the dealer's first two cards being dealt face down, and the dealer's last card face up; each player then choosing whether to try to improve his/her hand by discarding one card into the discard box and then drawing one replacement card, also face up; each player drawing on a hand that already contains a pair or higher ranking hand must double his/her original wager; a player wishing to draw on a hand that is lower than a pair has the option to double his/her original wager but is not required to do so; after all players have acted, the dealer turning his/her hand face up and deciding whether to draw; and, if the dealer draws, the rank of the dealer's hand being improved or losing to all remaining players' live hands.

Further, according to the preferred embodiment of the game disclosed herein, if any player drawing one card fails to improve his/her hand with the replacement card, based on a published rank of hands, the player's hand immediately loses and shall be surrendered to the dealer along with the player's wager or doubled wager. The dealer draws after all the players have examined their hands and been given wagering opportunities. It would tilt percentages for winning strongly in favor of the dealer unless certain restrictions are placed on the dealer's ability to draw. The definition of when a dealer may draw cards is called the “House Way.”

The “House Way” of the preferred embodiment is preferably based on odds. The “House Way” for the three-card version dictates whether the dealer can draw a card and also dictates which card the dealer must discard. For example, if the dealer draws a hand containing an Ace and Jack of the same suit, plus a King of a different suit, the dealer is required under the House Way to discard the Jack and draw a third card from the dealer's tray.

This is abbreviated below as “A^(s)J^(s)K hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to create hand comprising AK.” The superscript “s” denotes cards of the same suit. When there is no superscript next to a card abbreviation, this indicates that the cards are of different suits, or “unsuited.”

In the order of rankings, the “House Way” for the three-card version of the disclosed game is as follows:

-   -   a) A^(s)K^(s)J hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to         create hand comprising AK;     -   b) A K^(s)J^(s) hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to         create hand comprising AK;     -   c) A^(s) K J^(s) hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to         create hand comprising AK;     -   d) A K J hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to create         hand comprising AK;     -   e) A^(s)K^(s) 10 hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to         create hand comprising AK;     -   f) A K^(s) 10^(s) hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to         create hand-comprising AK;     -   g) A^(s)K 10^(s) hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to         create hand comprising AK;     -   h) AK 10 hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to create         hand comprising AK;     -   i) A^(s) Q^(s) J hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to         create hand comprising QJ;     -   j) A Q^(s) J^(s) hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to         create hand comprising QJ;     -   k) A^(s) Q J^(s) hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to         create hand comprising QJ;     -   l) A Q J hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to create         hand-comprising QJ;     -   m) A^(s) Q^(s) 10 hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to         create hand comprising AQ;     -   n) A Q^(s) 10^(s) hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to         create hand-comprising AQ;     -   o) A^(s) Q 10^(s) hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to         create hand-comprising AQ;     -   p) A Q 10 hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to create         hand-comprising AQ;     -   q) A^(s) J^(s)10 hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to         create hand comprising AJ;     -   r) A J^(s) 10^(s) hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to         create hand-comprising AJ;     -   s) A^(s) J 10^(s) hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to         create hand comprising AJ;     -   t) A J 10 hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to create         hand-comprising AJ;     -   u) K^(s) Q^(s) 10 hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to         create hand comprising KQ;     -   v) K Q^(s) 10^(s) hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to         create hand-comprising KQ;     -   w) K^(s) Q 10^(s) hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to         create hand comprising KQ;     -   x) K Q 10 hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to create         hand comprising KQ;     -   y) K^(s) J^(s) 10 hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to         create hand-comprising KJ;     -   z) K J^(s) 10^(s) hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to         create hand comprising KJ;     -   aa) K^(s) J 10^(s) hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to         create hand-comprising KJ;     -   bb) K J 10 hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to create         hand-comprising KJ.     -   After the indicated discard, the dealer then draws a third card         from the dealer's tray. If the dealer's hand does not improve in         ranking by the drawn card, the dealer loses to all the remaining         live hands.

Additionally, for the preferred embodiment, namely the three-card version of the game of the disclosure, the “House Way” calls for the dealer, if dealt one of a discrete set of hands, to discard one card, as indicated when the dealer draws any one of the following set of hands:

-   -   a) A A 10 hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to create         hand comprising AA;     -   b) K K 10 hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to create         hand comprising KK;     -   c) Q Q 10 hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to create         hand comprising QQ;     -   d) J J 10 hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to create         hand comprising JJ; and     -   e) 10 10 J hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to create         hand comprising 1010.

After the indicated discard, the dealer then draws a third card from the dealer's tray. If the dealer's hand does not improve in ranking by the drawn card, the dealer loses to all the remaining live hands.

In the preferred embodiment of the disclosed game and method of play, if the dealer's hand improves after the dealer's draw card, and then the dealer will examine each player's hand, one by one, and determine which live hands have a higher or lower rank relative to the dealer's final hand. Hands ranked higher than the dealer's will win, and those ranked lower will lose and the single or doubled bets placed by players will be paid off or collected based on this determination. When the dealer and the player have the same ranked hand the hand will be a tie (“push”) and the wager is returned to the player.

For the three deck, three-card version of the disclosed game and the method of play, hands are ranked, beginning with the highest and proceeding to the lowest ranking, as follows:

-   -   i) “Triple Flush,” comprising three cards of the same rank and         same suit namely A^(s)A^(s)A^(s), K^(s)K^(s)K^(s),         Q^(s)Q^(s)Q^(s), J^(s)J^(s)J^(s), 10^(s)10^(s)10^(s);     -   ii) “Royal Flush,” comprising AIM of the same suit;     -   iii) “Straight Flush,” comprising three cards of the same suit         in consecutive order namely K^(s)Q^(s)J^(s) and         Q^(s)J^(s)10^(s);     -   iv) “Three of a kind,” comprising three unsuited cards of the         same rank in the following order, from highest to lowest, as         AAA, KKK, QQQ, JJJ, 101010;     -   v) “Flush,” comprising three cards of the same suit; when         comparing two flushes, the highest card determines which flush         is the higher hand; if the highest cards are equal then the         second highest cards are compared; if the second highest cards         are also equal then the third highest cards are compared; the         following flush hands are listed from highest to lowest:         A^(s)A^(s)K^(s), A^(s)A^(s)Q^(s), A^(s)A^(s)J^(s),         A^(s)A^(s)10^(s), A^(s)K^(s)K^(s), A^(s)K^(s)J^(s),         A^(s)K^(s)10^(s), A^(s)Q^(s)Q^(s), A^(s)Q^(s)J^(s),         A^(s)Q^(s)10^(s), A^(s)J^(s)J^(s), A^(s)J10^(s),         A^(s)10^(s)10^(s), K^(s)K^(s)Q^(s), K^(s)K^(s)J^(s),         K^(s)K^(s)10^(s), K^(s)Q^(s)Q^(s),K^(s)Q^(s)10^(s),         K^(s)J^(s)J^(s), K^(s)J^(s)10^(s), Q^(s)Q^(s)J^(s),         Q^(s)Q^(s)10^(s), Q^(s), J^(s)J^(s), Q^(s)10^(s)10⁵,         J^(s)H^(s)10^(s),     -   vi) “Straight,” comprising three unsuited cards in sequence, in         the following order, from highest to lowest as AKQ, KQJ, QJ10;     -   vii) “Pair,” comprising two cards of same rank, in the following         order, from AAK, AAQ, AAJ, AA10, KKA, KKQ, KKJ, KK10, QQA, QQK,         QQJ, QQ10, JJA, JJK, JJQ, JJ10, 1010A, 1010K, 1010Q, 1010J;     -   viii) “High Card,” comprising an unsuited hand having a ranking         in the following order, from highest to lowest, as follows, AKJ,         AK10, AQJ, AQ10, AJ10, KQ10, KJ10.

For the three card, two prepared deck version, all rankings are the same, as the version of the preferred embodiment above, except that a “Triple Flush” is not attainable.

As disclosed above, the preferred method of play and game disclosed comprise three card hands drawn from at least three prepared decks of cards, the preparation comprising removal of all cards of the rank 9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2. Additional novel embodiments comprise the disclosure. Such embodiments may comprise: three card hands drawn from at least two prepared card decks; three card hands drawn from at least three standard 52-card decks; four card hands drawn from at least four prepared card decks; and five card hands drawn from at least five prepared card decks.

The change in the number of cards played according to the disclosure results in changes in ranking of hands. These rankings are now described below.

For play using at least three standard 52-card decks and three cards per hand, the hands are ranked in order from highest to lowest, as follows:

-   -   i) “Triple Flush,” comprising three cards of the same rank and         same suit, namely AAA, KKK, QQQ, JJJ, 101010;     -   ii) “Royal Flush,” comprising AKQ of the same suit;     -   iii) “Straight Flush,” comprising three cards of the same suit         in sequence such as QJ10, 987, and 654 of the same suit; between         two straight flushes, the one containing the higher top card is         higher in rank; an ace can be counted as lowest to make a         straight flush, but it is the lowest type of straight         flush—e.g., 32A;     -   iv) “Three of a Kind,” comprising three cards of the same rank,         when comprising two threes of a kind the hand in which the three         equal cards are of higher rank is better; so for example AAA         beats QQQ, 777 beats 555, and 444 beats 222;     -   v) “Flush,” comprising three cards of the same suit; when         comparing two flushes, the highest card determines which is         higher; if the highest cards are equal then the second highest         card is compared; if those are equal too; then the third highest         card is compared; for example, the following order from highest         to lowest, as . . . 665, 664, 663 . . . to the lowest flush 322;     -   vi) “Straight,” comprising three cards of mixed suits in         sequence; when comparing two sequences, the one with the         higher-ranking top card is higher in rank; ace can count high or         low in a straight but not both at once, AKQ and 32A are valid         straights; 32A is the lowest kind of straight, the top card         being the 3;     -   vii) “Pair,” comprising two cards of same rank; when comparing         hands with pairs, the hand with the higher pair is better; for         example, 1010K beats 88A, 66K beats 447; if the pairs are equal,         compare the highest-ranking odd cards from each hand; so JJA         beats JJK, 99K beats 99J;     -   viii) “High. Card,” comprising cards which do not form any of         the combinations listed above; when comparing two high card         hands, the one with the better highest card wins; if the highest         cards are equal the second cards are compared; if they are equal         too the third cards are compared; for example, AKJ beats AK10,         QJ9 beats QJ7, and 652 beats 643;

b) For the four-card version, hands are ranked as follows:

-   -   i) Four of a Kind Flush,” comprising a four card hand in which         all cards are of both identical suit and rank in the following         order from highest to lowest as AAAA, KKKK, QQQQ, JJJJ,         10101010;     -   ii) “Royal Flush,” comprising AKQJ of the same suit;     -   iii) “Straight Flush,” comprising KQJ10 of the same suit;     -   iv) “Four of a Kind,” comprising a four card hand of more than         one suit but of only a single rankin the following order from         highest to lowest, AAAA, KKKK, QQQQ, JJJJ, 10101010;     -   v) “Flush” comprising a four card hand of a single suit, but         which hand is not a Four of a Kind Flush, Royal Flush, or         Straight Flush, the relative ranking of hands depending from the         relative ranking order of all cards held in each compared hand,         namely from AAAK, AAAQ, AAAJ, AAA10, AAKK, AAKQ, AAKJ, AAK10,         AAQQ, AAQJ, AAQ10, AAJJ, AAJ10, AA1010, AKKK, AKKQ, AKKJ, AKK10,         AKQQ, AKQ10, AKJJ, AKJ10, AK1010, AQQQ, AQQQJ, AQQ10, AQJJ,         AQJ10, AQ1010, AJJJ, AJJ10, AJ1010, A101010, KKKQ, KKKJ, KKK10,         KKQQ, KKQJ, KKQ10, KKJJ, KKJ10, KK1010, KQ1010, KJ1010, K101010,         QQQJ, QQQ10, QQJJ, QQJ10, QQ1010, QJJJ, QJJ10, QJ1010, A101010,         JJJ110, JJ1010, J101010;     -   vi) “Straight,” comprising a four card hand of more than a         single suit, the four cards in ranked sequence order from AKQJ         to KQJ10;     -   vii) “Three of a Kind” comprising a four card hand of more than         one suit in which three of the cards are of a single rank, the         hand ranking depending from the relative ranking of the cards         held, namely AAAK, AAAQ, AAAJ, AAA10, KKKA, KKKQ, KKKJ, KKK10,         QQQA, QQQK, QQQJ, QQQ10, JJJA, JJJK, JJJQ, JJJ10, 101010A,         101010K, 101010Q, 101010J;     -   viii) “Two Pair,” comprising a four card hand in which two of         the cards are of a single rank and the other two cards comprise         a different single rank, namely from highest to lowest as AAKK,         AAQQ, AAJJ, AA1010, KKQQ, KKJJ, KK1010, QQJJ, QQ1010, JJ1010;     -   ix) “Pair,” as a four card hand comprising two cards of a single         rank; the relative ranking of one pair hand when compared with         any other pair hand depending from the relative ranking order of         the cards held, namely from highest to lowest, as AAKQ, AAKJ,         AAK10, AAQJ, AAQ10, AAJ10, KKAQ, KKAJ, KKA10, KKQJ, KKQ10,         KKJ10, QQAK, QQAJ, QQA10, QQKJ, QQK10, QQJ10, JJAK, JJAQ, JJA10,         JJKQ, JJK10, JJQ10, 1010AK, 1010AQ, 1010AJ, 1010KQ, 1010KJ,         1010QJ; and     -   x) “High Card,” comprising a four card hand comprising none of         the above hands, the relative ranking of one high card hand when         compared to any other high card hand depending from the relative         ranking order of all cards held, namely, from highest to lowest,         as AKQ10, AKJ10, AQJ10.

For the five-card version the hands are ranked as follows:

c)

-   -   i) “Five of a Kind Flush,” comprising five cards of one rank and         the same suit, namely AAAAA, KKKKK, QQQQQ, JJJJJ, 1010101010;     -   ii) “Royal Flush,” comprising AKQJ10 of the same suit;     -   iii) “Five of a Kind,” comprising five unsuited cards of the         same rank in the in the following order from highest to lowest,         AAAAA, KKKKK, QQQQQ, JJJJJ, 1010101010;     -   iv) “Four of a Kind,” comprising four unsuited cards of the same         rank from highest to lowest as follows, AAAAK, AAAAQ, AAAAJ,         AAAA10, KKKKA, KKKKQ, KKKKJ, KKKK10, QQQQA, QQQQK, QQQQJ,         QQQQ10, JJJJA, JJJJK, JJJJQ, JJJJ10; 10101010A, 10101010K,         10101010Q, 10101010J;     -   v) “Full House,” comprising three cards of the same rank and a         pair, namely, . . . AAAKK, AAAQQ, AAAJJ, AAA1010, KKKAA, KKKQQ,         KKKJJ, KKK1010, QQQAA, QQQKK, QQQJJ, QQQ1010, JJJAA, JJJKK,         JJJQQ, JJJ1010, 101010AA, 101010KK, 101010QQ, 101010JJ;     -   vi) “Flush,” comprising a five card hand of a single suit, but         which hand is not a Five of a Kind Flush or Royal Flush, the         relative ranking of hands depending from the relative ranking         order of all cards held in each compared hand, namely from         highest to lowest as AAAKQ, AAAKJ, AAAK10, AAAQJ, AAAQ10,         AAAJ10, AAJJQ, AAKKJ, AAKK10, AAKQQ, AAAKQ, AAKQ10, AAKJJ,         AAKJ10, AAQQJ, AAQQ10, AAQJ10, AAJJK, AAJJQ, AAJJ10, AAJ1010,         AKKKQ, AKKKJ, AKKK10, AKKQQ, AKKQJ, AKKQ10, AKKJJ, AKKJ10,         AKK1010, AKQQQ, AKQQJ, AKQQ10, AKQJJ, AKQ1010, AQQQJ, AQQQ10,         AQQJJ, AQQJ10, AQQ1010, AQJJJ, AQJJ10 AQJJ10, AQ101010, AJJJ10,         AJJ1010,KKKQJ, KKKQ10, KKKJ10, KKQQJ, KKQQ10, KKQJJ, KKQJ10,         KKJJ10, KKJ1010, KQJJJ, KQJJ10, KQJ1010, KQ101010,KJJJ10,         KJJ1010, KJ101010, QQQJ10, QQJJ10, QQJ1010, QJJJ10, Q111010,         QJ101010;     -   vii) “Straight,” comprising a five card hand of more than one         suit as AKQJ10;     -   viii) “Three of a Kind,” comprising a five card hand of more         than one suit in which three of the cards are of a single rank,         the hand ranking depending from the relative ranking of the         cards held, namely from highest to lowest as follows, AAAKQ,         AAAKJ, AAAK10, AAAQJ, AAAQ10, AAAJ10, KKKAQ, KKKAJ, KKKA10,         KKKQJ, KKKQ10, KKKJ10, QQQAK, QQQAJ, QQQA10, QQQKJ, QQQK10,         QQQJ10, JJJAK, JJJAQ, JJJA10, JJJKQ, JJJK10, JJJQ10, 101010AK;         101010AQ, 101010AJ, 101010KQ, 101010KJ, 101010QJ;     -   ix) “Two Pair,” comprising a five card hand comprising two cards         of one rank and two cards of another rank from highest to lowest         as follows, AAKKQ, AAKKJ, AAKK10, AAQQK, AAQQJ, AAQQ10, AAJJK,         AAJJQ, AAJJ10, AA1010K, AA1010Q, AA1010J, KKQQA, KKQQJ, KKQQ10,         KKJJA, KKJJQ, KKJJ10,KK1010A, KK1010Q, KK1010J, QQJJA, QQJJK,         QQJJ10, QQ1010A, QQ1010K, QQ1010J, JJ1010A, JJ1010K, JJ1010Q;         and     -   x) “Pair,” comprising a five card hand comprising two cards of a         single rank, the relative ranking of one pair hand when compared         with any other pair hand depending from the relative ranking         order of the cards held, namely from highest to lowest, as         AAKQJ, A AKQ10, AAKJ10, AAQJ10, KKAQJ, KKAQ10, KKAJ10, KKQJ10,         QQAKJ, QQAK10, QQAJ10, QQKJ10, JJAKQ, JJAK10, JJAQ10, JJKQ10,         1010AKQ, 1010AKJ, 1010AQJ, 1010KQJ.

When the game of the disclosure is played with a three-card deck, one variation of the disclosure comprises both dealer and player being able to discard and then draw one or two cards; when the game is played with a four-card deck, both dealer and player can draw to one, two, or three cards; when the game is played with a five-card deck, both dealer and player can draw to one, two, three or four cards.

The casino can also regulate how the players can draw on their hands according to the disclosure, including the wagering on each hand. For example the casino can require a player drawing multiple cards to double his wager for each card drawn.

For the non-preferred embodiments using four or five card hands, the “House Way” may be determined by the casino in which the game is played, or by the players if it is not being played in a casino. Additional variations of the disclosed embodiment, singly or when played in conjunction, comprise the following, while still being within the scope of the game and method of play:

-   -   1. The dealer places two cards face up in the dealer's dealt         hand.     -   2. The player is required to double the initial bet in order to         draw an additional card. After this draw, the player is required         to have a minimum qualifying hand (such as one pair or better)         or to be forced to surrender.     -   3. The player is allowed to draw one, two or three cards while         still having the option to double the initial wager to make such         a draw.     -   4. In states or jurisdictions where a dealer is not allowed to         represent the house as a bank (house bank), the casino may use a         Third Party Banker (corporation) to play in the game. In this         situation the opportunity to bank the game is offered to all         players.     -   5. Players accepting an offer to act as a banker. In such cases,         the option will rotate in a clockwise manner. When players act         as a bank it is customary for the Third Party Banker to cover         all action in excess of the amount risked by the player/banker.         This allows full action at all times to all the participants.     -   6. Where there is no Third Party Banker, the opportunity to bank         can be rotated around the table as above and those players         wishing to bank will have the chance to risk their money against         the wagers of other players.     -   7. The deck can be modified to add one or more wild cards or         jokers.     -   8. In another method of play the Joker can be used as an Ace of         a necessary card to create a straight or a flush.     -   9. When the dealer and the player finish with a hand of the same         rank (a tie hand) the dealer hand will win.     -   10. Play where a hand that is not improved with a draw is still         alive.     -   11. Play the game without drawing additional cards.     -   12. Play the game wherein hands with pair flushes are ranked         higher than hands with flushes without pairs.

This specification is not to be limited to the foregoing examples, but the scope of the game additionally incorporates all disclosures from the Claims, Abstract and Drawings submitted herewith. 

1) A method of playing a card game, comprising: a) selecting a table for playing the game; b) selecting at least two standard 52 card decks of cards, each deck comprising four suits of cards, and each suit comprising 13 cards; c) designating the rank of each card, with all suits ranked equally, as A-K-Q-J-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2, with A as high rank and 2 as low rank, each intermediate card having a rank in relative order therein between; d) preparing the at least one deck for play by removing all cards of rank 9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2, and placing the remaining cards of rank A-K-Q-J-10 in a dealer's tray; e) defining three cards as a hand; f) defining a “pair” as two cards of the same rank; g) ranking potential hands of play for the game, from highest to lowest, comprising: i) “Royal Flush,” comprising AKQ of the same suit; ii) “Straight Flush,” comprising three cards of the same suit in ranked sequence order from highest to lowest as KQJ and QJ10; iii) “Three of a kind,” comprising three unsuited cards of the same rank in the following order from highest to lowest as AAA, KKK, QQQ, JJJ, 101010; iv) “Flush,” comprising three cards of a single suit, but which hand is neither a Royal Flush nor Straight. Flush in the following order from highest to lowest as AAK, AAQ, AAJ, AA10, AKK, AKJ, AK10, AQQ, AQJ, AQ10, AJJ, AJ10, A1010, KKQ, KKJ, KK10, KQQ, KQ10, KJJ, KJ10, QQJ, QQ10, QJJ, Q1010, JJ10, 1010J; v) “Straight,” comprising three cards of more than one suit in ranked sequence, in the following order from highest to lowest as AKQ, KQJ, QJ10; vi) “Pair,” comprising a three card hand comprising two cards of the same rank, in the following order from highest to lowest as AAK, AAQ, AAJ, AA10, KKA, KKQ, KKJ, KK 10, QQA, QQK, QQJ, QQ10; JJA, JJK, JJQ, MO, 1010A, 1010K, 1010Q, 1010J; and vii)“High Card,” comprising an unsuited hand having a ranking in the order from highest to lowest, as follows, namely, AKJ, AK10, AQJ, AQ10, AJ10, KQ10, KJ10; h) defining winning, losing and tying hands, when comparing one hand to another hand, as i) a winning hand as the higher ranked hand; ii) a losing hand as the lower ranked hand; and iii) tying hands as hands having the same rank; i) designating a minimum wager required for entry into the game; j) defining a player of the game as a person willing to i) place the minimum wager; ii) receive in exchange of the minimum wager three prepared cards from the dealer's tray to comprise the player's original hand; and iii) determine whether to place additional wagers based on the perceived rank of the original hand; k) designating a wagering area for each player onto which each player places any wager, including but not limited to the minimum wager; l) defining as a dealer a person whose duty it is to; i) deal cards for playing the game from the dealer's tray to each player; ii) determine the rankings of any hands of cards played by each player; iii) collect wagers lost from any losing player's wagering area, and to pay winnings to each winning player; and iv) play according to a predefined “House Way;” m) positioning the dealer adjacent the dealer's tray and at least one player adjacent at least one player wagering area; n) accepting the minimum wager placed by each player in the player's wagering area and dealing three prepared cards by the dealer to each wagering player from the dealer's tray, the dealt cards being dealt face up; o) dealing three cards from the dealer's tray to the dealer, two cards dealt face down and the third card dealt face up; p) determining whether each player has at least a pair or less than a pair in their originally dealt hand; q) requiring any of the at least one players holding a hand with at least a pair or better to double this wager before requesting a new card, but permitting any of the at least one players holding a hand having a rank lower than a pair to repeat the original wager amount in order to request a new card; r) acting by each player on this determination by; i) placing a doubled wager or an amount equal to their original wager into the player's wagering area; or ii) indicating to the dealer that the player is going to play the originally dealt hand by placing no additional wager in that player's wagering area; s) discarding, by each player who has added an additional wager, one card face up from that player's original hand, and each such player receiving a replacement card dealt face up from the dealer's tray dealt by the dealer to the wagering player; t) perceiving and comparing by the dealer the rank of each wagering player's new hand to the rank of that player's original hand; u) turning a player's hand and discarded card face down on the table, and placing at least one chip of the player's wager on top of the face down cards if the player's new hand does not improve in rank relative to the player's original hand; v) allowing each player to remain in the game if that player's new hand has a higher rank than that player's original hand; w) completing this process for all players at the table; x) turning over the two cards originally dealt to the dealer and comparing the dealer's hand to each of the face up hands held by the players at the table to determine whether the players' hands are winning, losing or tying in comparison to the dealer's hand; y) permitting the dealer to draw a card based on the predefined “House Way;” z) ending for a round of the game by: i) paying each player with a winning hand at a ratio of 1:1; ii) collecting the wagers from each player holding a losing hand; and iii) returning wagers made to players with a tying hand. 2) A method of playing a card game, comprising: a) selecting a table for playing the game; b) selecting at least three standard 52 card decks of cards, each deck comprising four suits of cards, and each suit comprising 13 cards; c) designating the rank of each card, with all suits ranked equally, as A-K-Q-J-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2, with A as high rank and 2 as low rank, each intermediate card having a rank in relative order therein between; d) preparing the at least one deck for play by removing all cards of rank 9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2, and placing the remaining cards of rank A-K-Q-J-10 in a dealer's tray; e) defining three cards as a hand; f) defining a “pair” as two cards of the same rank; g) ranking potential hands of play for the game, from highest to lowest, comprising: i) “Triple Flush,” comprising three suited cards of a single rank from highest to lowest as AAA, KKK, QQQ, JJJ, 101010; ii) “Royal Flush,” comprising AKQ of the same suit; iii) “Straight Flush,” comprising three suited cards in ranked sequence order in the following order from highest to lowest as KQJ and QJ10; iv) “Three of a kind,” comprising three unsuited cards of the same rank in the following order from highest to lowest as AAA, KKK, QQQ, JJJ, 101010; v) “Flush,” comprising three cards of a single suit, but which hand does not comprise a Triple Flush, Royal Flush, or Straight Flush, in the following order from highest to lowest as AAK, AAQ, AAJ, AA10, AKK, AKJ, AK10, AQQ, AQJ, AQ10, AJJ, AJ10, A1010, KKQ, KKJ, KK10, KQQ, KQ10, KJJ, KJ10, QQJ, QQ10, QJJ, Q1010, JJ10, 1010J; vi) “Straight,” comprising a three card hand of more than a single suit, the three cards in ranked sequence order from highest to lowest as AKQ, KQJ, QJ10; vii) “Pair,” comprising a three card hand comprising two cards of a single rank, in the following order from highest to lowest as AAK, AAJ, AAQ, AA10, KKA, KKQ, KKJ, KK10, QQA, QQK, QQJ, QQ10, JJA, JJK, JJQ, JJ10, 1010A, 1010K, 1010Q, 1010J, viii) “High Card,” comprising a three card hand comprising none of the above wherein AKJ unsuited is highest, while remaining hands have a ranking in the order from highest to lowest, as follows, namely, AKJ, AK10, AQJ, AQ10, AP10, KQ10, KJ10, h) defining winning, losing and tying hands, when comparing one hand to another hand; as i) a winning hand as the higher ranked hand; ii) a losing hand as the lower ranked hand; and iii) tying hands as hands having the same rank; i) designating a minimum wager required for entry into the game; j) defining a player of the game as a person willing to; i) place the minimum wager; ii) receive in exchange of the minimum wager three prepared cards from the dealer's tray to comprise the player's original hand; and iii) determine whether to place additional wagers based on the perceived rank of the original hand; k) designating a wagering area for each player onto which each player places any wager, including but not limited to the minimum wager; l) defining as a dealer a person whose duty it is to; i) deal cards for playing the game from the dealer's tray to each player; ii) determine the rankings of any hands of cards played by each player; iii) collect wagers lost from any losing player's wagering area, and to pay winnings to each winning player; and iv) play according to the a predefined “House Way;” m) positioning the dealer adjacent the dealer's tray and at least one player adjacent at least one player wagering area; n) accepting the minimum wager placed by each player in the player's wagering area and dealing three prepared cards by the dealer to each wagering player from the dealer's tray, the dealt cards being dealt face up; o) dealing three cards from the dealer's tray to the dealer, two cards dealt face down and the third card dealt face up; p) determining whether each player has at least a pair or less than a pair in their originally dealt hand; q) requiring any of the at least one players holding a hand with at least a pair or better to double before requesting a new card, but permitting any of the at least one players holding a hand having a rank lower than a pair to repeat the original wager amount in order to request a new card; r) acting by each player on this determination by; i) placing a doubled wager or an amount equal to their original wager into the player's wagering area; or ii) indicating to the dealer that the player is going to play the originally dealt hand by placing no additional wager in that player's wagering area; s) discarding, by each player who has added an additional wager, one card face up from that player's original hand, and each such player receiving a replacement card dealt face up from the dealer's tray dealt by the dealer to the wagering player; t) perceiving and comparing by the dealer the rank of each wagering player's new hand to the rank of that player's original hand; u) turning a player's hand and discarded card face down on the table, and placing at least one chip of the player's wager on top of the face down cards if the player's new hand does not improve in rank relative to the player's original hand; v) allowing each player to remain in the game if that player's new hand has a higher rank than that player's original hand; w) completing this process for all players at the table; x) turning over the two cards originally dealt to the dealer and comparing the dealer's hand to each of the face up hands held by the players at the table to determine whether the players' hands are winning, losing or tying in comparison to the dealer's hand; y) permitting the dealer to draw a card based on the predefined “House Way;” z) ending play for a round of game by; i) paying each player with a winning hand at a ratio of 1:1; ii) collecting the wagers from each player holding a losing hand; and iii) returning wagers made to players with a tying hand. 3) A method of playing a card game, comprising: a) selecting a table for playing the game; b) selecting at least three standard 52 card decks of cards, each deck comprising four suits of cards, and each suit comprising 13 cards; c) designating the rank of each card, with all suits ranked equally, as A-K-Q-J-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2, with A as high rank and 2 as low rank, each intermediate card having a rank in relative order therein between; d) defining three cards as a hand; e) defining a “pair” as two cards of the same rank; f) ranking potential hands of play for the game, from highest to lowest, comprising; i) “Triple Flush,” comprising three cards of the same rank and same suit, namely in the following order from highest to lowest AAA, KKK, QQQ, JJJ, 101010; ii) “Royal Flush,” comprising AKQ of the same suit; iii) “Straight Flush,” comprising a three card hand of a single suit in ranked sequence , namely QJ10, 987, and 654 of the same suit; between two straight flushes, the one containing the higher top card is higher in rank; an ace can be counted as lowest to make a straight flush, but it is the lowest type of straight flush—e.g., 32A; iv) “Three of a Kind,” comprising three unsuited cards of the same rank, the hand ranking depending from the relative ranking of the cards held, namely AAA beats QQQ, 777 beats 555, and 444 beats 222; v) “Flush,” comprising a three card hand of a single suit, which hand is not a Triple, Royal, nor Straight Flush, the relative ranking of hands depending from the relative ranking order of all cards held in each compared hand, namely from highest to lowest as . . . 665, 664, 663 . . . to the lowest flush 322; vi) “Straight,” comprising a three card hand of more than a single suit, the three cards in ranked sequence order; ace can count high or low in a straight but not both at once, AKQ and 32A are valid straights; 32A is the lowest kind of straight, the top card being the 3; vii)“Pair,” as a three card hand comprising two cards of a single rank; the relative ranking of one pair hand when compared with any other pair hand depending from the relative ranking order of the cards held, namely , 1010K beats 88A, 66K beats 447; if the pairs are equal, compare the highest-ranking odd cards from each hand; so JJA beats JJK, 99K beats 99J; viii) “High Card,” comprising a three card hand comprising none of the above hands, the relative ranking of one high card hand when compared to any other high card hand depending from the relative ranking order of all cards held, namely, AM beats AK10, QJ9 beats QJ7, and 652 beats 643; g) defining winning, losing and tying hands, when comparing one hand to another hand, as; i) a winning hand as the higher ranked hand; ii) a losing hand as the lower ranked hand; and iii) tying hands as hands having the same rank; h) designating a minimum wager required for entry into the game; i) defining a player of the game as a person willing to; i) place the minimum wager; ii) receive in exchange of the minimum wager three prepared cards from the dealer's tray to comprise the player's original hand; and iii) determine whether to place additional wagers based on the perceived rank of the original hand; j) designating a wagering area for each player onto which each player places any wager, including but not limited to the minimum wager; k) defining as a dealer a person whose duty it is to; i) deal cards for playing the game from the dealer's tray to each player; ii) determine the rankings of any hands of cards played by each player; iii) collect wagers lost from any losing player's wagering area, and to pay winnings to each winning player; and iv) play according to a predefined “House Way;” l) positioning the dealer adjacent the dealer's tray and at least one player adjacent at least one player wagering area; m) accepting the minimum wager placed by each player in the player's wagering area and dealing three prepared cards by the dealer to each wagering player from the dealer's tray, the dealt cards being dealt face up; n) dealing three cards from the dealer's tray to the dealer, two cards dealt face down and the third card dealt face up; o) determining whether each player has at least a pair or less than a pair in their originally dealt hand; p) requiring any of the at least one players holding a hand with at least a pair or better to double before requesting a new card, but permitting any of the at least one players holding a hand having a rank lower than a pair to repeat the original wager amount in order to request at least one new card; q) acting by each player on this determination by; i) placing a doubled wager or an amount equal to their original wager into the player's wagering area; or ii) indicating to the dealer that the player is going to play the originally dealt hand by placing no additional wager in that player's wagering area; r) discarding, by each player who has added an additional wager, at least one card face up from that player's original hand, and each such player receiving a corresponding number of replacement cards dealt face up from the dealer's tray dealt by the dealer to the wagering player; s) perceiving and comparing by the dealer the rank of each wagering player's new hand to the rank of that player's original hand; t) turning a player's hand and the discarded at least one card face down on the table, and placing at least one chip of the player's wager on top of the face down cards if the player's new hand does not improve in rank relative to the player's original hand; u) allowing each player to remain in the game if that player's new hand has a higher rank than that player's original hand; v) completing this process for all players at the table; w) turning over the at least two cards originally dealt to the dealer and comparing the dealer's hand to each of the face up hands held by the players at the table to determine whether the players' hands are winning, losing or tying in comparison to the dealer's hand; x) permitting the dealer to draw a card based on the predefined “House Way;” y) ending play for a round of the game by; i) paying each player with a winning hand at a ratio of 1:1; ii) collecting the wagers from each player holding a losing hand, and iii) returning wagers made to players with a tying hand. 4) A method of playing a card game, comprising: a) selecting a table for playing the game; b) selecting at least four standard 52 card deck of cards, each deck comprising four suits of cards, and each suit comprising 13 cards; c) designating the rank of each card, with all suits ranked equally, as A-K-Q-J-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2, with A as high rank and 2 as low rank, each intermediate card having a rank in relative order therein between; d) preparing the at least four decks for play by removing all cards of rank 9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2, and placing the remaining cards of rank A-K-Q-J-10 in a dealer's tray; e) defining four cards as a hand; f) defining a “pair” as two cards of the same rank; g) ranking potential hands of play for the game, from highest to lowest, comprising: i) Four of a Kind Flush,” comprising a four card hand in which all cards are of both identical suit and rank in the following order from highest to lowest as AAAA, KKKK, QQQQ, JJJJ, 10101010; ii) “Royal Flush,” comprising AKQJ of the same suit; iii) “Straight Flush,” comprising KQJ10 of the same suit; iv) “Four of a Kind,” comprising a four card hand of more than one suit but of only a single rankin the following order from highest to lowest, AAAA, KKKK, QQQQ, JJJJ, 10101010; v) “Flush” comprising a four card hand of a single suit, but which hand is not a Four of a Kind Flush, Royal Flush, or Straight Flush, the relative ranking of hands depending from the relative ranking order of all cards held in each compared hand, namely from AAAK, AAAQ, AAAJ, AAA10, AAKK, AAKQ, AAKJ, AAK10, AAQQ, AAQJ, AAQ10, AAJJ, AAJ10, AA1010, AKKK, AKKQ, AKKJ, AKK10, AKQQ, AKQ10, AKJJ, AKJ10, AK1010, AQQQ, AQQQJ, AQQ10, AQJJ, AQJ10, AQ1010, AJJJ, AJJ10, AJ1010, A101010, KKKQ, KKKJ, KKK10, KKQQ, KKQJ, KKQ10, KKJJ, KKJ10, KK1010, KQ1010, KJ1010, K101010, QQQJ, QQQ10, QQJJ, QQJ10, QQ1010, QJJJ, QJJ10, QJ1010, A101010, JJJ10, J11010, J101010; vi) “Straight,” comprising a four card hand of more than a single suit, the four cards in ranked sequence order from AKQJ to KQJ10; vii)“Three of a Kind” comprising a four card hand of more than one suit in which three of the cards are of a single rank, the hand ranking depending from the relative ranking of the cards held, namely AAAK, AAAQ, AAAJ, AAA10, KKKA, KKKQ, KKKJ, KKK10, QQQA, QQQK, QQQJ, QQQ10, JJJA, JJJK, JJJQ, JJJ10, 101010A, 101010K, 101010Q, 101010J; viii) “Two Pair,” comprising a four card hand in which two of the cards are of a single rank and the other two cards comprise a different single rank, namely from highest to lowest as AAKK, AAQQ, AAJJ, AA1010, KKQQ, KKJJ, KK1010, QQJJ, QQ1010, JJ1010; ix) “Pair,” as a four card hand comprising two cards of a single rank; the relative ranking of one pair hand when compared with any other pair hand depending from the relative ranking order of the cards held, namely from highest to lowest, as AAKQ, AAKJ, AAK1O, AAQJ, AAQ10, AAJ10, KKAQ, KKAJ, KKA10,KKQJ, KKQ10, KKJ10, QQAK, QQAJ, QQA10, QQKJ, QQK10, QQJ10, JJAK, JJAQ, JJA10, JJKQ, JJK10, JJQ10, 1010AK, 1010AQ, 1010AJ, 1010KQ, 1010KJ, 1010QJ; and x) “High Card,” comprising a four card hand comprising none of the above hands, the relative ranking of one high card hand when compared to any other high card hand depending from the relative ranking order of all cards held, namely, from highest to lowest, as AKQ10, AKJ10, AQJ10; h) defining winning, losing and tying hands, when comparing one hand to another hand, as i) a winning hand as the higher ranked hand; ii) a losing hand as the lower ranked hand; and iii) tying hands as hands having the same rank; i) designating a minimum wager required for entry into the game; j) defining a player of the game as a person willing to i) place the minimum wager; ii) receive in exchange of the minimum wager four prepared cards from the dealer's tray to comprise the player's original hand; and iii) determine whether to place additional wagers based on the perceived rank of the original hand; k) designating a wagering area for each player onto which each player places any wager, including but not limited to the minimum wager; l) defining as a dealer a person whose duty it is to; i) deal cards for playing the game from the dealer's tray to each player; ii) determine the rankings of any hands of cards played by each player; iii) collect wagers lost from any losing player's wagering area, and to pay winnings to each winning player; and iv) play according to a predefined “House Way;” m) positioning the dealer adjacent the dealer's tray and at least one player adjacent at least one player wagering area; n) accepting the minimum wager placed by each player in the player's wagering area and dealing four prepared cards by the dealer to each wagering player from the dealer's tray, the dealt cards being dealt face up; o) dealing four cards from the dealer's tray to the dealer, at least two cards dealt face down and at least one card dealt face up; p) determining whether each player has at least a pair or less than a pair in their originally dealt hand; q) requiring any of the at least one players holding a hand with at least a pair or better to double before requesting at least one new card, but permitting any of the at least one players holding a hand having a rank lower than a pair to repeat the original wager amount in order to request at least one new card; r) acting by each player on this determination by; i) placing a doubled wager or an amount equal to their original wager into the player's wagering area; or ii) indicating to the dealer that the player is going to play the originally dealt hand by placing no additional wager in that player's wagering area; s) discarding, by each player who has added an additional wager, at least one card face up from that player's original hand, and each such player receiving at least one replacement card dealt face up from the dealer's tray dealt by the dealer to the wagering player; t) perceiving and comparing by the dealer the rank of each wagering player's new hand to the rank of that player's original hand; u) turning a player's hand and at least one discarded card face down on the table, and placing at least one chip of the player's wager on top of the face down cards if the player's new hand does not improve in rank relative to the player's original hand; v) allowing each player to remain in the game if that player's new hand has a higher rank than that player's original hand; w) completing this process for all players at the table; x) turning over the cards originally dealt face down to the dealer and comparing the dealer's hand to each of the face up hands held by the players at the table to determine whether the players' hands are winning, losing or tying in comparison to the dealer's hand; y) permitting the dealer to draw at least one a card based on the predefined “House Way;” z) ending for a round of the game by; i) paying each player with a winning hand at a ratio of 1:1; ii) collecting the wagers from each player holding a losing hand; and iii) returning wagers made to players with a tying hand. 5) A method of playing a card game, comprising: a) selecting a table for playing the game; b) selecting at least five standard 52 card deck of cards, each deck comprising four suits of cards, and each suit comprising 13 cards; c) designating the rank of each card, with all suits ranked equally, as A-K-Q-J-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2, with A as high rank and 2 as low rank, each intermediate card having a rank in relative order therein between; d) preparing the at least five decks for play by removing all cards of rank 9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2, and placing the remaining cards of rank A-K-Q-J-10 in a dealer's tray; e) defining five cards as a hand; f) defining a “pair” as two cards of the same rank; g) ranking potential hands of play for the game, from highest to lowest, comprising: i) “Five of a Kind Flush,” comprising five cards of one rank and the same suit, namely AAAAA, KKKKK, QQQQQ, JJJJJ, 1010101010; ii) “Royal Flush,” comprising AKQJ10 of the same suit; iii) “Five of a Kind,” comprising five unsuited cards of the same rank in the in the following order from highest to lowest, AAAAA, KKKKK, QQQQQ, JJJJJ, 1010101010; iv) v) “Four of a Kind,” comprising four unsuited cards of the same rank from highest to lowest as follows, AAAAK, AAAAQ, AAAAJ, AAAA10, KKKKA, KKKKQ, KKKKJ, KKKK10, QQQQA, QQQQK, QQQQJ, QQQQ10, JJJJA, JJJJK, JJJJQ, JJJJ10; 10101010A, 10101010K, 10101010Q, 10101010J vi) “FULL HOUSE” comprising three cards of the same rank and a pair, namely, . . . AAAKK, AAAQQ, AAAJJ, AAA1010, KKKAA, KKKQQ, KKKJJ, KKK1010, QQQAA, QQQKK, QQQJJ, QQQ1010, JJJAA, JJJKK, JJJQQ, JJJ1010, 101010AA, 101010KK 101010QQ, 101010JJ; vii) “Flush,” comprising a five card hand of a single suit, but which hand is not a Five of a Kind Flush or Royal Flush, the relative ranking of hands depending from the relative ranking order of all cards held in each compared hand, namely from highest to lowest as AAAKQ, AAAKJ, AAAK 10, AAAQJ, AAAQ10, AAAJ10, AAJJQ, AAKKJ, AAKK10, AAKQQ, AAAKQ, AAKQ10, AAKJJ, AAKJ10, AAQQJ, AAQQ10, AAQJ10, AAJJK, AAJJQ, AAJJ10, AAJ1010, AKKKQ, AKKKJ, AKKK 10, AKKQQ, AKKQJ, AKKQ 10, AKKJJ, AKKJ10, AKK1010, AKQQQ, AKQQJ, AKQQ10, AKQJJ, AKQ1010, AQQQJ, AQQQ10, AQQJJ, AQQJ10, AQQ1010, AQJJJ, AQJJ10 AQJJ10, AQ101010, AJJJ10, AJJ1010, KKKQJ, KKKQ10, KKKJ10, KKQQJ, KKQQ10, KKQJJ, KKQJ10, KKJJ10, KKJ1010, KQJJJ, KQJJ10, KQJ1010, KQ101010,KJJJ10, KJJ1010, KJ101010, QQQJ10, QQJJ10, QQJ1010, QJJJ10, QJJ1010, QJ101010; viii) “Straight,” comprising a five card hand of more than one suit as AKQJ10; ix) “Three of a Kind,” comprising a five card hand of more than one suit in which three of the cards are of a single rank, the hand ranking depending from the relative ranking of the cards held, namely from highest to lowest as follows, AAAKQ, AAAKJ, AAAK10, AAAQJ, AAAQ10, AAAJ10, KKKAQ, KKKAJ, KKKA10, KKKQJ, KKKQ10, KKKJ10, QQQAK, QQQAJ, QQQA10, QQQKJ, QQQK10, QQQJ10, JJJAK, JJJAQ, JJJA10, JJJKQ, JJJK10, JJJQ10, 101010AK; 101010AQ, 101010AJ, 101010KQ, 101010KJ, 101010QJ; x) xi) “Two Pair,” comprising a five card hand comprising two cards of one rank and two cards of another rank from highest to lowest as follows, AAKKQ, AAKKJ, AAKK10, AAQQK, AAQQJ, AAQQ10, AAJJK, AAJJQ, AAJJ10, AA1010K, AA1010Q, AA1010J, KKQQA, KKQQJ, KKQQ10, KKJJA, KKJJQ, KKJJ10,KK1010A, KK1010Q, KK1010J, QQJJA, QQJJK, QQJJ10, QQ1010A, QQ1010K, QQ1010J, JJ1010A, JJ1010K, JJ1010Q; and xii) “Pair,” comprising a five card hand comprising two cards of a single rank, the relative ranking of one pair hand when compared with any other pair hand depending from the relative ranking order of the cards held, namely from highest to lowest, as AAKQJ, AAKQ10, AAKJ10, AAQJ10, KKAQJ, KKAQ10, KKAJ10, KKQJ10, QQAKJ, QQAK10, QQAJ10, QQKJ10, JJAKQ, JJAK10, JJAQ10, JJKQ10, 1010AKQ, 1010AKJ, 1010AQJ, 1010KQJ. h) defining winning, losing and tying hands, when comparing one hand to another hand, as i) a winning hand as the higher ranked hand; ii) a losing hand as the lower ranked hand; and iii) tying hands as hands having the same rank; i) designating a minimum wager required for entry into the game; j) defining a player of the game as a person willing to i) place the minimum wager; ii) receive in exchange of the minimum wager five prepared cards from the dealer's tray to comprise the player's original hand; and iii) determine whether to place additional wagers based on the perceived rank of the original hand; k) designating a wagering area for each player onto which each player places any wager, including but not limited to the minimum wager; l) defining as a dealer a person whose duty it is to; i) deal cards for playing the game from the dealer's tray to each player; ii) determine the rankings of any hands of cards played by each player; iii) collect wagers lost from any losing player's wagering area, and to pay winnings to each winning player; and iv) play according to a predefined “House Way;” m) positioning the dealer adjacent the dealer's tray and at least one player adjacent at least one player wagering area; n) accepting the minimum wager placed by each player in the player's wagering area and dealing five prepared cards by the dealer to each wagering player from the dealer's tray, the dealt cards being dealt face up; o) dealing five cards from the dealer's tray to the dealer, at least two cards dealt face down and at least one card dealt face up; p) determining whether each player has at least a pair or less than a pair in their originally dealt hand; q) requiring any of the at least one players holding a hand with at least a pair or better to double before requesting at least one new card, but permitting any of the at least one players holding a hand having a rank lower than a pair to repeat the original wager amount in order to request at least one new card; r) acting by each player on this determination by; i) placing a doubled wager or an amount equal to their original wager into the player's wagering area; or ii) indicating to the dealer that the player is going to play the originally dealt hand by placing no additional wager in that player's wagering area; s) discarding, by each player who has added an additional wager, at least one card face up from that player's original hand, and each such player receiving at least one replacement card dealt face up from the dealer's tray dealt by the dealer to the wagering player; t) perceiving and comparing by the dealer the rank of each wagering player's new hand to the rank of that player's original hand; u) turning a player's hand and discarded card face down on the table, and placing at least one chip of the player's wager on top of the face down cards if the player's new hand does not improve in rank relative to the player's original hand; v) allowing each player to remain in the game if that player's new hand has a higher rank than that player's original hand; w) completing this process for all players at the table; x) turning over the cards originally dealt face down to the dealer and comparing the dealer's hand to each of the face up hands held by the players at the table to determine whether the players' hands are winning, losing or tying in comparison to the dealer's hand; y) permitting the dealer to draw at least one card based on the predefined “House Way;” z) ending for a round of the game by; i) paying each player with a winning hand at a ratio of 1:1; ii) collecting the wagers from each player holding a losing hand; and iii) returning wagers made to players with a tying hand. 6) The game of the disclosure according to claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein the “house way” calls for the dealer, if dealt one of a discrete set of hands, the hand denoted as comprising cards of the same suit by the superscript “S” to the right of a denoted card's rank, to discard one card, as indicated when the dealer draws any one of the following hands: a) A^(s)K^(s)J hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to create hand comprising AK; b) A K^(s)J^(s) hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to create hand comprising AK; c) A^(s) K J^(s) hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to create hand comprising AK; d) A K J hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to create hand comprising AK; e) A^(s) K^(s) 10 hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to create hand comprising AK; f) A K^(s) 10^(s) hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to create hand comprising AK; g) A^(s)K 10^(s) hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to create hand comprising AK; h) A^(s)K 10 hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to create hand comprising AK; i) A^(s) Q^(s) J hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to create hand comprising QJ; j) A Q^(s) J^(s) hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to create hand comprising QJ; k) A^(s) Q J^(s) hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to create hand comprising QJ; l) A Q J hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to create hand comprising QJ; m) A^(s) Q^(s) 10 hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to create hand comprising AQ; n) A Q^(s) 10^(s) hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to create hand comprising AQ; o) A^(s) Q 10^(s) hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to create hand comprising AQ; p) A Q 10 hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to create hand comprising AQ; q) A^(s) J^(s) 10 hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to create hand comprising AJ; r) A J^(s)10^(s) hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to create hand comprising AJ; s) A^(s)J10^(s) hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to create hand comprising AJ; t) A J 10 hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to create hand comprising AJ; u) K^(s) Q^(s) 10 hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to create hand comprising KQ; v) K Q^(s) 10^(s) hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to create hand comprising KQ; w) K^(s) Q 10^(s) hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to create hand comprising KQ; x) K Q 10 hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to create hand comprising KQ; y) K^(s) J^(s) 10 hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to create hand comprising KJ; z) K J^(s) 10^(s) hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to create hand comprising KJ; aa) K^(s) J 10^(s) hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to create hand comprising KJ; bb) K J 10 hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to create hand comprising KJ. After the indicated discard, the dealer then draws a third card from the dealer's tray. 7) The game of the disclosure according to claim 1, 2 or 3 wherein the “house way” calls for the dealer, if dealt one of a discrete set of hands, to discard one card, as indicated when the dealer draws any one of the following hands: a) A A 10 hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to create hand comprising AA; b) K K 10 hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to create hand comprising KK; c) Q Q 10 hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to create hand comprising QQ; d) J J 10 hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to create hand comprising JJ; and e) 10 10 J hand drawn by dealer, dealer must discard to create hand comprising
 1010. 8) The game of the disclosure according to claims 1-5, wherein the dealer places two or more cards face up in the dealer's dealt hand. 9) The game of the disclosure according to claims 1-5, wherein the player doubles the bet in order to draw a card. 10) The game of the disclosure according to claims 1-5, wherein each player must have a minimum qualifying hand (such as one pair or better) or to be forced to surrender. 11) The game of the disclosure according to claims 1-5, wherein each player may draw either one, two or three cards and still has the option to double the initial wager to make such a draw, 12) The game of the disclosure according to claims 1-5, wherein in states or jurisdictions where the dealer is not allowed to represent the house as a bank, a player may choose to play one or more hand as a Third Party Banker. 13) The game of the disclosure according to claims 1-5, wherein all players have the opportunity to play as the dealer, and a button or similar apparatus will rotate around the table position to position with each individual player agreeing or disagreeing on acting as the player/banker. 14) The game of the disclosure according to claims 1-5, wherein there is no Third Party Banker, and the opportunity to bank is rotated around the table as in claim 12, above, and those players wishing to bank have the chance to risk their money against the wagers of other players. 15) The game of the disclosure according to claims 1-5, wherein the deck can be modified in addition of one or more Jokers (wild card) with the Joker acting as any card. 16) The game of the disclosure according to claims 1-5, wherein the Joker can be used as an Ace of the necessary card to create a straight or a flush. 17) The game of the disclosure according to claims 1-5, wherein when the dealer and the player finish with a hand of the same rank (a tie hand) the dealer hand will win. 18) The game of the disclosure according to claims 1-5, wherein a hand that is not improved with a draw is still alive. 19) The game of the disclosure according to claims 1-5, wherein the either each player, or the dealer, or both play the game without drawing additional cards. 20) The game of the disclosure according to claims 1-5, wherein hands with pair flushes are ranked higher than hands with flushes without pairs. 